What a couple of days it has been for David Taylor! The 2025 U20 World Wrestling Championship started on August 17, and it’s been a roller-coaster of an experience for the Cowboys head coach. Day 1 of the tournament started, and it was not a good start. Fate somehow gave a second chance. Well, this guy didn’t need a second invitation. Because that’s what David Taylor’s boys are trained to do.
The Oklahoma State coach knows a thing or two about medaling at the World Championships. But this is a different kind of fulfillment, seeing your boys succeed in life, reaching their goals. Dee Lockett isn’t a stranger to clinching medals at the World Championships. But what he did on Monday was truly special. He took a bad hand and came out on top. Guess what? His new coach was watching him every step of the way. And like a proud teacher, David Taylor had to give a nod to the amazing performance.
Magic Man shared it on his Instagram story on August 18. The news is already circulating on the major US wrestling channels, given how huge it is. Dee Lockett has won his repechage games and is so close to clinching a medal at the U20 Worlds. Taylor shared a screenshot of the Stillyboys Instagram update, which shows Lockett after his win against German 2025 U20 European Champion Manuel Wagin. The original post read, “Dee wins both matches this morning and will wrestle for bronze at 10:00 AM CDT.”
Credits: Instagram @stillyboys
Just a day before, the talks were about how challenging it would be for the 2024 U20 silver medalist to get a medal this time. After losing his R16 match, the chances were almost nil. Turn of events got him in a repechage bracket. But Lockett had to take down an Asian U20 bronze medalist and a European U20 gold medalist to even reach the bronze match.
Well, first, the U17 World Champion displaced Vatan Annaorazov 10-0, an absolute monster of a performance. The next one was exactly the opposite. Dee Lockett was challenged by Wagin, pushed to the brim, and was down 4-5 with seconds remaining. But with 3 seconds left, the American hit back with a takedown to clinch the match. And here he is now. The Cowboys’ commit will be facing Kanata Yamaguchi of Japan for bronze.
What a story it will be if Lockett can manage to grab the bronze. It will be a statement of character, of not giving up. Not to mention, it sets up the International summer of the Cowboys quite nicely.
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Well, like we said, it’s been a topsy-turvy experience for the OSU wrestling head coach. While Lockett had a great Monday, another Cowboys wrestler didn’t get the best of endings. Rin Sakamoto was the 2nd representative from the program that finished third in the NCAA rankings in 2025.
Credits: Instagram @cowboywrestling
In his first match only, the Japanese wrestler lost to Sumit Malik of India, and that too in the most disappointing of fashions. The Cowboys wrestler had gone 10-1 ahead initially before his opponent mounted a massive comeback. First a four-pointer, then a takedown made it 10-7. Another takedown made it 10-9 with 7 seconds remaining.
The clock ran out, and Sakamoto apparently won, until a challenge for a single foul was made by the Indian counterpart. It is confirmed, and it was a 10-10 score win for Malik. Truly heartbreaking for the Cowboy, but he will get another chance in 4 weeks, a bigger chance. Rin Sakamoto is also a member of the Japanese Senior Worlds team that will be there at the 2025 Senior World Wrestling Championships in Zagreb. And he won’t be the only guy from David Taylor’s team.
Four more Cowboys wrestlers will be fighting for a medal come September 13 – Wyatt Hendrickson, Zahid Valencia, and Jax Forrest from Team USA, and Roman Bravo-Young from Mexico. So much to prove for the Cowboys wrestlers in the next few weeks, a statement to make that their program is on the ascendancy. How they do will be a reflection on David Taylor, the coach, and the journey that started just more than a year ago.
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